Glucagon is an emergency medicine and must be used only as directed by your doctor. Make sure that you and a member of your family or a friend understand exactly when and how to use this medicine before it is needed .

Glucagon is packaged in a kit with a vial of powder containing the medicine and a syringe filled with liquid to mix with the medicine. Directions for mixing and injecting the medicine are in the package. Read the directions carefully and ask your health care professional for additional explanation, if necessary.

Glucagon should not be mixed after the expiration date printed on the kit and on one vial. Check the date regularly and replace the medicine before it expires. The printed expiration date does not apply after mixing, when any unused portion must be discarded.

Dosing

The dose of glucagon will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of glucagon. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• As an emergency treatment for hypoglycemia:
  • Adults and children weighing 20 kilograms (kg) (44 pounds) or more: 1 milligram (mg). The dose may be repeated after fifteen minutes if necessary.
  • Children weighing up to 20 kg (44 pounds): 0.5 mg or 20 to 30 micrograms (mcg) per kg (9.1 to 13.6 mcg per pound) of body weight. The dose may be repeated after fifteen minutes if necessary.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Store the unmixed medicine at room temperature.
• Do not store the unmixed medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For glucagon, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to glucagon or to beef or pork products, including insulin. Also, tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Glucagon has not been studied in pregnant women. However, glucagon has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies.

Breast-feeding It is not known whether glucagon passes into breast milk. However, this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children This medicine has been tested in children and, in effective doses, has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Older adults Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of glucagon in the elderly with use in other age groups, it is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the doses or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

• Diabetes mellitus When glucagon is used for test or x-ray procedures in patients with diabetes that is well-controlled, a rise in blood sugar may occur; otherwise, glucagon is an important part of the management of diabetes because it is used to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

• Insulinoma (tumors of the pancreas gland that make too much insulin) (or history of) Blood sugar concentrations may decrease

• Pheochromocytoma Glucagon can cause high blood pressure